The Pentagon this week started a “meet and confer” period with national union representatives, with the assistance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, on the NSPS plan. DoD officials said that many of the details, such as the precise scope of bargaining that will be allowed under the new system, will be worked out in those talks. The results of that process, which will take a minimum 30 days, will then be reported to Congress, which will have another 30 days to review the rules—and presumably take legislative action—before the regs can be finalized. DoD continues to say that it expects the first phase of NSPS to begin in July, although it does not consider that a hard and fast deadline.